SHOP and restaurant owners have launched a campaign to save from Oriental City in Kingsbury from from redevelopment, writes JANAKI MAHADEVAN.

Supporters of the Save Oriental City Campaign says that the Chinese community has not been sufficiently involved in the planning process.

They fear that the planned redevelopment of the site off Edgware Road will cost 800 jobs as well as a loss of identity of the centre, which the community calls the "UK's real Chinatown".

Oriental City is in Brent, but neighbouring Barnet has the largest number of Chinese residents in any London borough.

The £200 million redevelopment plan includes a new Oriental City, a B and Q store, homes and primary school.

A spokesman for the Oriental City Tenants' Association said: "The council and developers claim that they have involved a wide range of interested parties when clearly they have not.

"Just because the Chinese community is not as vocal as others does not mean that it should be ignored."

A meeting organised at the centre on Friday was originally aimed at encouraging the Chinese community to register vote, but it weas dominated by discussions of the redevelopment.

A spokeswoman for Brent Council said: "The racial equality assessment has been carried out as part of the council's unitary development plan, in line with the Mayor of London's London Plan requirements.

"Extensive consultation has been carried out and the sub-tenants of Oriental City are still being consulted and their views are being taken into consideration."

Laurence Martin, development director for project for Development Securities, said: "Oriental City is at the heart of the new development.

"We are looking forward to seeing a bigger and better Oriental City"

Brent Council is due to make a decision on Development Securities' planning application tomorrow (Tuesday).